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What’s the difference between silence and quiet in times of conflict? For Lebanese band Adonis, it came down to agency – the ability to choose how, and when, to express themselves.
Released last month and recorded during the 2024 Israel invasion of Lebanon – the veteran group, known for their ebullient sound and emotionally precise lyrics, has delivered a set of songs intentionally detached from the immediate context of the conflict.
In doing so, it becomes a statement of resilience – that their art is guided by creative intent, not shaped by the surrounding disorder. And, crucially, that making music became a means of emotional preservation in times of chaos.
“We were devastated during the war, of course,” singer and keyboardist Anthony Khoury tells The National. “But the music was elsewhere. It didn’t sit with us in that very dark place. We needed to protect something. Maybe it was our joy, our creativity.. maybe even our sanity.”
It’s no wonder Wedyan – meaning “valleys” – is Adonis’s most insular album to date. Across 12 tracks, we follow a character who slowly but intently shies away from society into a life of solitude and contemplation. The lyrics don’t frame this as a form of defeat, but as a healthy response to turmoil – a way to protect one’s inner state when the world outside feels overwhelming.
The lyrics drift between musings and fragments, reflecting on identity, exile and life itself. Some are drawn from personal moments, including Khoury’s newborn nephew and a tribute to his late grandmother.
Intriguingly, the turn inward isn’t always mirrored in the music. While the arrangements are more languid, the four-piece stretch out with light-footed shifts into electronica – like on Khod Sa‘at – and chirpy RnB vocals on Yeskerni. Even Nancy, the album’s most upbeat track, is anchored by a laid-back funk groove.
That marriage of emotional introspection and expansive musical approach, Khoury explains, comes from the band writing the songs separately.
Khoury was traveling between Paris and Amman, while the rest of the group – Joey Abou Jaoudey (guitar), Nicola Hakim (drums) and Gio Fikany (bass) – remained in different parts of Lebanon.
“For the first time, we weren’t really immersed in the Lebanese context,” Khoury says. “It definitely felt like we were writing from the outside. That physical distance, I think, gave us the space to reflect without the same kind of pressure. We weren’t reacting, were just processing.”
He adds the time apart, about 15 years into Adonis’s career, was also liberating – a chance to recalibrate, both creatively and emotionally. Khoury says the step back wasn’t a difficult one – just necessary. A moment to take stock, acknowledge what they were feeling and prepare for the often gruelling process of recording new material.
“Like the character in the album, we were isolated – and we longed for that isolation. You reach a point where you just want to protect something. For us, it was the ability to create without being swallowed by everything happening around us. That’s why this album feels different. It had to be.”
Indeed, the album stands out for the distinct sonic flavours it employs to channel the various states of mind of its protagonist. The aching melancholy of Ma’rafha – meaning I Don’t Know Her – melds a sparse piano motif with minimal electronic beats, as Khoury reflects on the quiet devastation of a breakup. Not the rupture itself, but the self-protective urge to erase everything attached to it. “Even if they asked me, ‘Who’s the beautiful one?’” he sings in the refrain. “I’d tell them: I don’t know her, I don’t know her.”
While in Kel Ma Tsame’ni (Whenever You Say), the resigned character’s exile from his troubles results in the clarity he needs, and a quiet sense of resolve emerges in his decision to stay away from unwanted opinions: “Every time you tell me lines from movies, from friends who wanted to give you their opinion about me".
In Abtal (Heroes), Adonis emerges from lyrical detachment to directly engage with the present moment. Over ebbing beats, the band pays tribute to the unsung heroes of Lebanon — ordinary individuals offering shelter, comfort and their professional skills in times of crisis. Khoury says he witnessed this during the aerial bombardment of Beirut by Israeli forces, a situation that left many villages cut off from one another, with civilians and neighbours stepping in to fill the initial absence of official support.
"In Lebanon, the conflict created a rupture between different parts of the same city – some areas were being bombarded, while others weren’t directly affected. What happens in that kind of environment is that you start noticing how people respond socially. Usually, you’re too consumed by the tragedy itself to really observe. But this time, I saw people – civilians – stepping up in quiet ways," he recalls.
"I was in Beirut during that phase, in an area that wasn’t directly targeted. But the entire neighbourhood was mobilised to support those that were. I’m talking about doctors, journalists, teachers – even pilots who continued operating flights despite bombings near the airport. Abtal is dedicated to them.
With the band recently completing a headline set at the Bred Abu Dhabi festival and returning soon for a solo concert at Dubai Opera on July 3 , Khoury says Wedyan has left Adonis not only rejuvenated, but with a renewed sense of direction. It also served as a reminder of how creativity can be a grounding force during uncertain times.
“I wasn’t raised or trained to be a musician. I had a different path in life,” he says. “But what I’ve found through music, and what I think I’ll keep finding for a very long time, is meaning. I feel like I have a place and a voice.
“I’m aware that our kind of work is the least essential when it comes to keeping a society functioning. And sometimes in Lebanon, we’re in first-degree survival mode, more often than we’d like to be. But I have immense hope. Hope in my country, in our region and in the goodness of people. And with that hope, I think there will be less and less to lose and much more to gain.”
Saeed Saeed is a 2024-25 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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The Specs:
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
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THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
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Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
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HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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